WBB: Lady Riders fall short to Hudson, 59-56
Central Tuesday night. Sigler and the Lady Riders snapped their
two-game losing streak Tuesday night, defeating Central. (Photo by
Ray Jackson)
The drive for a playoff spot in District 18-3A hasn't been an easy one for the Center Lady Riders. On Friday night they dropped a 59-56 decision on the road to Hudson, falling back to 2-6 against league competition.
"We played well, it was just that we had some breaks go against us," Center head coach Tracy Kincade said of the loss to the Lady Hornets. "We are really going to be good in the future because the girls are busting their tails to get better."
Lakia Shepherd was the leading scorer for Center in the setback. She poured in 21 pounds, while hauling in a team-high 13 rebounds. Shepherd also added four steals and four assists, drawing praise from her coach.
"Kia is a dominating player that does everything and more," the coach stated.
Lacie Evans, on a sophomore, added 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists to the effort. Ashley Sigler just missed double-digit scoring, dropping in nine points, while picking up three steals.
Kemi Cleveland scored seven points, seven rebounds and eight steals. Kincade said she continues to be a very good defensive player and a game leader on the floor.
Cassie Bush scored two points, added a rebound and a steal and blocked two shots, while being in foul trouble most of the night.
Tyvonna Harper, who moved up from the junior varsity, scored three points. Kincade said he's really looking forward to good things from her in the near future.
Center took an 11-9 lead at the end of the first period, but the Lady Hornets had a 15-10 advantage on the scoreboard in the second quarter to surge in front, 24-21 at the break.
Hudson extended the lead to 43-37 heading into the fourth quarter and the Lady Hornets held off a late surge by Center to record the win to improve to 5-3 in district.
The Lady Riders came back strong on Tuesday night with a 49-44 win over Central at home to improve to 12-11 on the year, 3-6 in District 18-3A action with three games remaining in the regular season. Center is in fifth place and is two games out of third place.